- Date
- December 7, 1992, 06:12 local (12:12 UTC)
- Place
- Kansas City, MO
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N11889Cessna 177B
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report January 4, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19921207049229A
- Case key
- 15581
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot-in-command's failure to maintain a positive rate of climb during a missed approach. Factors which contributed to the accident were: inoperative gyro instruments due to a broken vacuum pump, the dark night, adverse weather conditions, and rising terrain.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
En route to his destination, during level flight at 9,000 ft, the pilot advised ATC that his gyro was inoperative. When asked if he would need any special assistance at his destination, he declined. During the ILS approach he was issued a new visibility of 1/4 mile. He subsequently executed a missed approach, and was instructed to climb and maintain 2,500 ft for no-gyro vectors. The airplane impacted rising terrain 1/4 mile from the departure end of the ILS runway. Exam of the vacuum pump revealed that the rotor was broken; one vane was broken, and two pieces were wedged in one vane slot. The rotor assembly would not rotate. The pilot's toxicological results showed 33.500 ug/ml of acetaminophen in the urine, along with diphenhydramine. This combination is found in common non-prescription drugs such as 'buffrin af nite time' and 'excedrin p.m.'
Aircraft
- Registration
- N11889
- Reported as
- Cessna 177B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17702379
- Airframe hours
- 4,084
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1F6D, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Dart, John C.
- Registered owner
- Dart, John C.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 12, 1992 · 79 hours before
- Departed
- RPB · Belleville, KS
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- MCI · Kansas City International, runway 19R, 10,801 × 150 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 73
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 17,500 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 300° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 200 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 27 °F, dew point 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MCI, 1 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.